Kendre Miller
The Saints may find themselves searching the waiver wire or the veteran free agent route after cutdown to secure the depth at the RB position.
Miller will need to return to camp and prove himself with some meaningful reps at some point. If he can't stay healthy, he may find himself placed on IR until he can. I don't see the Saints giving up on him yet. He obviously has talent, but you can't help the club while you're in the tub. Mims looks to be the guy who is making a case for himself to make the team. He has been shining so far in camp and with Miller hurt he has been getting more reps in practice than he otherwise would have. I haven't heard much about Robinson or Kibodi to this point making any plays that have them standing out. Beyond the free spirit character of Williams, is he just another guy or is he a player that can get it done?
The Saints will host the 49ers for at least one joint practice on August 15th, 3 days ahead of their preseason matchup game on August 18th, 2024.
The 49ers depth chart at RB has Christian McCaffrey as the undisputed starter with Elijah Mitchell as his primary backup. He rushed for 961 yards as a rookie but has missed 18 games the past 2 years. The team expected Issac Guerendo to compete to be the main backup this year. He pulled a hamstring last week and is expected to miss several weeks. The 9ers also have Jordan Mason on the roster. He was an undrafted free agent in 2022 and hasn't gotten many opportunities, but he has shined when his number has been called. He has averaged 5.6 yards per carry so far in his career which is higher than anyone else on their roster. He has been shinning so far in camp and is making a play to be the main backup to McCaffrey. One of the 3 backs behind McCaffrey may not make the 53-man roster and could be traded or be subjected to the Turk on cutdown day. These RBs will be ones to keep an eye on when the Saints scrimmage and play the 49ers in preseason. Of course, Klint Kubiak is familiar with all of them. He already knows who's who and what they can do.
Call the Bears. I think Khalil Herbert can be had for a late round pick. They're all about D'Andre Swift and Rochon Johnson now. Herbert is a decent back, 5-9, 212 pounds.
Maybe the Pack is ready to part with AJ Dillon now that they have Josh Jacobs and Marshawn LLoyd. AJ has never really panned out, but I think he could benefit from a change of scenery and opportunity. He's a real tank at 6 foot, 245.
Here are some backs that could be had from other teams. You can bet there are several other teams that will cut some backs that may be better than the last back on the Saints roster as they head into the regular season. Hopefully our own guys will show they belong.
There are also a number of free agent veteran RBs still available on the open market. Dalvin Cook, Latavius Murray, Kareem Hunt, Matt Breida, Melvin Gordon are some of those out there with plenty of experience. Do any of them have any gas left in the tank? Most of them won't get signed until after week 1 of the regular season so that the team signing them won't have to guarantee their salary for the entire season.